Local aquarium joins nationwide group to combat plastic pollution

Meet some of the animals that will be featured in the exhibits in the Carbibbean Journey at the Texas State Aquarium. The nearly $60 million expansion doubles the size of the aquarium and includes an open jungle space and a 400,000 gallon shark exhibit with sandbar sharks.
Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times

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Visitors to the Texas State Aquarium check out flamingos during the grand opening of the Caribbean Journey expansion Saturday, May 13, 2017.(Photo: Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times, Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times)Buy Photo

The Texas State Aquarium is teaming up with 18 other aquariums around the country to address a threat affecting marine life — plastic pollution.

The new organization, called the Aquarium Conservation Partnership, is starting a campaign to educate visitors about plastic pollution and encourage them to shift away from single-use plastic. The campaign is titled "In Our Hands."

As part of this campaign, the aquariums have promised eliminating or heavily reducing plastic beverage bottles in their own businesses by the end of 2020 and showcasing alternatives to using plastic.

About 8.8 million tons of plastic ends up in the ocean every year, according to a news release from the group. If the trend keeps up, that number is expected to double by 2025.

The Texas State Aquarium President and CEO Tom Schmid said the newly expanded aquarium has completed plastic reduction initiatives ahead of schedule.

"We’re constantly working to reduce ocean pollution through our everyday operations," Schmid said in a news release. "We’ve eliminated plastic water bottles from our premises, removed hundreds of tons of marine debris from local beaches, and encourage our guests to recycle, reuse, and reduce plastic."